Barella Opens Up: Feeling Incomplete After Italy’s World Cup Woes

FolioPitch.com – 21 July 2026 | Inter Milan star Nicolò Barella has candidly admitted that he feels incomplete after Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, despite winning the European Championship in 2021. In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Barella reflected on his international career, saying his journey has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Barella admits feeling incomplete after Italy s World Cup heartbreaks, describing his national team experience as an incredible start followed by a decline that leaves him with a sense of unfinished business.

“What I want most of all with the Azzurri is to go to the World Cup at least once and compete for it,” Barella stated. “My national team journey started with winning a European Championship, and then I found myself not playing in two World Cups. An incredible start followed by a decline. This leaves me feeling incomplete.” The 29-year-old midfielder is part of a golden generation at Inter, having won the Serie A title and Coppa Italia in the 2025-26 season. However, the joy of club success was tempered by the heartbreak of missing out on global football’s biggest stage.

Barella’s comments come after Italy’s dramatic failure to qualify for consecutive World Cups, a fate that has left the nation reeling. The Azzurri lost the World Cup play-off final to Bosnia and Herzegovina in March 2026, a defeat that Barella described as hitting rock bottom. “When you hit rock bottom, and for me, it was the second time I’d lost a play-off, you can only climb back up,” he explained. “Various thoughts went through my head. Then, together with my teammates, we tried to think positively. Without keeping everything bottled up anymore, I realised I shouldn’t let what had happened affect me, regardless of how bad it was.” Barella admits feeling incomplete after Italy s World Cup heartbreaks and says he rolled up his sleeves after the disappointment, focusing on his club career.

The midfielder also discussed his role as a mentor to young Italian talent at Inter, particularly Francesco Pio Esposito, who has been tipped as the future centre-forward for the national team. “Despite his youth, he has proven to be strong and very important for Inter and the national team,” Barella said. “That’s why he’s always on everyone’s lips, but when that happens, you do one good thing and you’re hailed like a god, then you make a mistake and you’re criticised. It’s not easy, especially when you’re young and in a situation like Italian football currently, with the national team not performing well. It creates pressure. But I know him well and I know he can handle it.” Barella emphasized the importance of nurturing talent and protecting young players from external pressure, adding, “We try to give him advice, as we’ve experienced those situations in our careers. And for us, Pio is a striker who makes a difference because he has different characteristics from everyone else. He has goals in his blood; he finds the net out of nowhere. So we need to nurture him, to protect him.”

Despite the World Cup disappointments, Barella remains optimistic about Italy’s future. He believes the current squad has the quality to bounce back, but acknowledged that missing two World Cups in a row leaves a void. Barella admits feeling incomplete after Italy s World Cup heartbreaks, yet he channels that frustration into determination on the pitch. “That run of form came after the disappointment of failing to qualify for the World Cup,” he recalled, referring to Inter’s strong finish to the 2025-26 season following their Champions League exit. The synergy between club and country is crucial for Italian football, and Barella’s leadership will be vital as the Azzurri aim to rebuild.

In conclusion, Nicolò Barella’s honesty about his emotional journey resonates with fans who share his pain. Barella admits feeling incomplete after Italy s World Cup heartbreaks, but his resilience and focus on the future offer hope. As he continues to excel with Inter, the midfielder dreams of one day representing Italy on the World Cup stage, determined to turn that incompleteness into fulfillment.